Five Biggest Questions:
1. Can Daniel Jones be trusted as streamable?
2. Who will be Jonathan Taylor's handcuff?
3. Can Alec Pierce be a top-32 WR?
4. Will Josh Downs push Pierce for alpha status?
5. Is Tyler Warren headed toward a breakout campaign?
Philip Rivers' storybook return last season could not save a team that hasn't won a postseason game since the Andrew Luck era. In fact, the last time they reached the playoffs was in 2020, led by Rivers right before his first retirement.
Perhaps no franchise these past 12 years has had more upheaval at the quarterback position. The last Indy QB to start a majority of games in back-to-back seasons was Luck in 2013-2014. Since then, it's been Matt Hasselbeck, then Luck, the Jacoby Brissett, Luck, Brissett, Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson, and Daniel Jones.
Jones brought a stability and capability not seen for several years. A ruptured Achilles cut his season short. When healthy, he'll return to lead this passing attack, which remains formidable even without Michael Pittman Jr. But when will Jones return, and will he be close to 100%?
The market isn't optimistic. Despite reports that he could be back for Week 1, he sports a steady QB25 ADP. When fantasy relevant, Jones has done plenty of damage on the ground. But his efficiency has steadily declined, bottoming out at 3.6 yards per carry last year on a career-low 0.6 yards after first contact. Those numbers probably won't be any better coming off an Achilles injury. He wasn't running that much anyway in 2025. Maybe he could be a top 16-18 QB if things are clicking. But managers shouldn't expect numbers on par with last year's.
Alec Pierce is priced to lead this WR corps, owning a WR38 ADP (vs. WR37 last week) compared to WR44 for Josh Downs (vs. WR46 last week) and a steady WR108 for Ashton Dulin. Pierce was underestimated entering 2025, as the market handed him a WR75 ADP despite coming off a 37-824-7 campaign. He followed that up last year with a 47-1,003-6 line. For a guy who was last year's WR27 in points per game, he's shaping up as a bargain, especially if Jones settles in as a pocket passer. This is, after all, a pretty thin wideout group. Dulin is a 29-year-old with 40 career catches. Pierce will be one of four major targets. It's a nice set-up.
Downs is a bigger bargain. The former third-round pick is a good bet to top 100 targets. Among the 28 wideouts with 100+ looks last season, only Jerry Jeudy finished outside the top 32. Downs has hit triple digits before. He should be drafted at least one round early.
Tyler Warren also benefits from Pittman's departure. While I'm wary of valuing him alongside Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, he's on the cusp of greatness. Lean into his steady TE4 ADP.
The backfield shouldn't need much discussion, but given the stakes, it's necessary. Jonathan Taylor did it all last year, leading the league with 18 rushing scores and 323 carries. He had career highs in targets, catches, and receiving yards. He played in every game for only the second time since entering the NFL in 2020. His ADP ticked down one spot this week to RB5, and one could justifiably argue that it deserves to be better.
We also can't forget that he missed three contests in 2024, seven in 2023, and six in 2022. He's also #8 on the active all-time RB touch list behind Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs, and Aaron Jones. Except all of those guys have been in the league longer. In other words, Taylor has done a lot in very little time, which is both inspiring and a little concerning from a fantasy perspective.
D.J. Giddens (RB74 ADP vs. RB77 last week) and Seth McGowan (RB98 vs. RB103) need to be on managers' radars. McGowan is a seventh-round rookie who's turning 25 in October. That shouldn't inspire hope. But there's no one else to choose from in this RB corps. If McGowan impresses in camp, his ADP could rival Giddens'. For now, Giddens has the inside track to serve as a must-draft handcuff.
---
* Sign up for FF4W Preseason Fantasy Rankings (donate what you want):
(1) Venmo -- venmo.com/u/ff4winners
(2) Cash App -- cash.app/$ff4winners
(3) PayPal -- paypal.me/bjrudell
* Today's FF4W podcast, episode 182: "Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, and Malik Benson" -- podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-football-for-winners/id1800490745
* Download FF4W research: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/p/research_1.html